Tales of The USS Odyssey
by Commodore-Rannian
Summary: This is a story about the crew of the USS Odyssey. It takes place after the Dominion War. This is my first Fan fiction so please R&R. chapter VIII is up! check it out
1. Chapter 1: The Lert

USS Odyssey Chapter One The Lert

Captain's log Stardate 15543.2 . _We are receiving an alien signal originating from the prodege expanse. My first officer T'ral, a Vulcan female has been on the Odyssey for two days and she has already worked with my Chief Engineer, Retan, in boosting the warp core efficiency by 32. _

I clicked the button to stop the recording. T'ral broke the odd bridge silence when she says " Sir there are four unknown vessels approaching. Their hull plating does not match any know materials."

I pondered the statement "Hai-"

"They are hailing us sir."

"On screen." A humanoid creature with three eyes and a flap-like patch for ears.

"This is Colonel Referolna of the CNC Gohmento." said a high pitched voice. "State your registration."

All of the bridge exchanged glances of perplexion. Then I replied with the Starship Captain automated response. "This is Commodore Gefferin Rannian of the Federation Starship Odyssey, and you are in Federation Space, Please leave immediately."

"Commodore, we are not about to leave because you asked. However an even exchange of information is more appropriate. Meet me at these coordinates in 44 Parcs. Referolna out." The picture changed to one of the familiar region of space known as the prodege expanse.

"Coordinates received Commodore. They are somewhere in the Jentaur System" Stated Martin Janson the Leutennant at Helm. "Shall I contact Starfleet Command?"

"No Janson, we will proceed to the given coordinates and then contact Starfleet Command."

"Aye Sir" Jasnson input the coordinates into the console and the Odyssey was on its way, to the Jentaur System.

"Sir, we are approaching the Jentaur System. The unknown alien vessel is waiting for us." Said Janson.

"Hailing Frequencies Leiutennant Wallwood."

"Channel open with the alien vessel."

" Colonel do you mind explaining who you are and where you come from?"

"We are the Lert Conferderates. We have extended our empire accros the Gamma and Beta Quadrants. We are technological more advanced than your pathetic Alpha Quadrant."

"If you are so superior then why are you here?" I asked.

"We do not need to discuss this!" Colonel Referolna said as she closed the channel.

Then Janson stated "Sir there are four Lert ships approaching!"

"Red Alert! I shouted as the battle Klaxons went off. The bridge shook as the shields were hit with some unknown projectile.

"Shields down to forty-five percent!" shouted Leiutennant Wallwood.

"Return Fire!" I shouted "Put all we have in to them!"

"Shields to fifteen percent!" shouted Leiutennant Wallwood

"No effect Sir!"

"Options?" I asked

"We could use a tractor beam to make the ships to collide." suggested Janson

"No good" replied Leiutennant Wallwood "Their Shields are too strong."

"Shields down!"Shoued Janson "Hull breach on Decks fourteen, fifteen, and sixteen! Emergencey containment fields holding."

" Evasive meneuver patter 90451 Alpha Theta Epsilon," I said "Arm The High Powered Ion Cannon."

"Aye sir." Replied Janson "Charging Ion Cannon." The Odyssey did a numerous ammount of full stops and full reverse, as well as many failed attempts at coming around behind the enemy.

"Cannon to one-hundred percent." Shouted Janson.

"Fire!" I shouted

"Sir their Flag ship has been disabled." Said Wallwood "The other ships are retreating."

"Lock a tractor beam on their disabled flag ship, as well as a subspace dampening field around the ship. Head for Deep Space 11 warp three."

"Aye sir. Heading for Deep Space 11" Replied Leiutennant Wallwood

The Odyssey angled to the left and Speeded out of the Jentaur System at high warp.

Captain's Log Supplemental: _Our unfortunate run in with this 'Lert Confederacy' has led us to believe that another violent confrontation is imminent. The Lert have been spotted in many of the recently explored regions at the outermost areas of Federation Space. _ _Starfleet has tried at all of these meetings to try a peaceful solution, but all have failed. The disabled Lert ship that we had captured has been taken to Deep Space 11. _

"Sir," Said Janson "There is a message from Admiral Kate."

"In my ready room" I replied. I sat behind the console, and Admiral Kates face appeared on the screen. "Rosaline, it is good to see you. What can I do for you?"

"We have your 'Lert' prisoners, and it appears that more Lert ships are approaching. The thing is, these are transport vessels. They have no weapons. They want to negotiate. I want you to come and be apart of the negotiations." Said the Admiral.


	2. Chapter 2: Preparation

USS Odyssey Chapter II: Lert Negotiations

Previously on The Odyssey: " Sir there are four unknown vessels approaching. Their hull plating does not match any know materials."

"We are the Lert Conferderates. We have extended our empire accros the Gamma and Beta Quadrants. We are technological more advanced than your pathetic Alpha Quadrant."

"Sir their Flag ship has been disabled." Said Wallwood "The other ships are retreating."

"We have your 'Lert' prisoners, and it appears that more Lert ships are approaching. The thing is, these are transport vessels. They have no weapons. They want to negotiate. I want you to come and be apart of the negotiations." Said the Admiral.

And now the contunuation.

"Why me Rosaline?" I protested "Why not Admiral McGannaway? He is a Betazoid."

"He will be joining us." She replied. She took off her glasses as she let out a heavy sigh "Look Gefferin, you have dealt with the Lert before."

"That was once and it resulted in a loss of 20 men!" I snapped back at her. The Admiral gave me a warm look. I knew that this was nothing campared to losing half of your crew to the Tholians. That look Comforted me, Like a mother does to her child. Just like that my mind was at ease.

"Gefferin, I want you on this negotiation. I will make sem'hal stew just the way you like it with an extra bottle of Kanar and some fresh tojar." she offered.

I thought about these foods. Sem'hal stew and tojar with a bottle of fine Kanar. The Federation had not programmed them into the replicators yet. I longed for the tojar especially. It is impossible to replicate properly. "Okay but do we know what they want?"

Rosaline smiled. "No they refused to disclose any information until we meet on Deep Space 11."

"What if this is a meeting of alliance? They will be most dissatisfied to find that they will have to wait until Starfleet Command approves it." I tried to argue, but it was no use.

"If they want to join forces with us , they will wait if they have to." she shot back.

"Ok we are fifteen hours away at warp seven." I said "We are changing our course now."

"Thank you Gefferin, I look forward to seeing you there." She said "May peace and love never leave you on your journey."

"Same to you Rosaline." I said as I closed the channel. If anyone else had witnessed that conversation, they would believe that there is a strong love between us. Though a valiant guess, it would be wrong. I was married almost a year to the most beautiful woman in the quadrant. Yes my ever loving Sara. And to think that only a year before we were married she had belonged to one of Starfleet's most trusted families, The Hill family. They had been loyal companions to Starfleet since its founding in 2123. They had single handedly funded the first Deep Space Starship the USS Pheonix. Her family had been close friends with the original signers of the United Federation of Planets Charter. Starfleet owes them a lot.

"Sir we are about fifteen hours from Deep Space 11." Janson's voice came through the com unit. "Commodore, Doctor Mkhlian has ordered to tell you to see her immediatley."

"Very well, I am on my way." I did not want to go. She is a Xindi – Primate. I had been told that the Xindi - Primates had been the ones who had killed my parents. So I have hated them ever since. She was a good doctor though, she graduated top of her class. She has been in high demand since she had saved a member of starfleet command from an unknown, genetically engineered, disease. She was a kind person, raised by humans on the planet where Sara and I have a home, Retrous III. We have met a couple of times before her comission. Sara loved her, so I could learn to like her. Sara would force me to if she were here. I should try and listen to her advice, even though she is back home.

I made my way to the turbo lift, when everything went dark. I had passed out in front of the turbo lift. I was not sure how long had passed before Leiutennant Mansour had found me. I had heard her shriek of pure terror, but could do nothing about it. I could not arouse myself. She tapped her combadge, and said with an obvious waver of fear "Emergency Transport three." And like that I was on my way to sickbay.

I woke in the unfamilliar sickbay of Deep Space 11. The doctor there was a good friend of mine. His name was Matcen. We had met while in the Cardassian Militia. We served in the same ships and enjoyed working together in engineering. After we left the Militia we turned our attention to Starfleet. We parted ways at the academy though. He pursued a medical career, and I pursued one of command. He said to me "Gefferin You are lucky to be alive. Someone had poisoned your stash of Kanar. You had enough to kill you."

"But I am not dead, right?" I said Jokingly

"No Gefferin you are not dead." He said trying not to laugh. "How are relations with you and Sara going?"

"We are married now." I replied with a hint of confusion. "I sent you an invitation"

"So that is what that was." he said "I thought you wanted your fity bars of latinum."

"I do but it is not important now." I said sarcastically "Have you ever been to Retrous III?"

"No, I do not think so. Why?" he asked

"Sara wanted to know where I always went before we got married, and now we have a home there," I said "Remember before the academy I did some solitary work. It was there I studied the principals of the Federation."

"Then from there you contacted me to do this."

"Exactly. So can I go now Andmiral Kate needed to see me."

"Yes hold on." he said as he pulled out a hypospray from the cabanet "This will help, you will feel really bad for the next hour or so."

"Thank you." I said.

Matcen was right I did feel horrible. I headed for my quarters when I saw Retan arguing with Janson. I decided to step in. "What is going on here!" I shouted which was quickly followed by rush pain in my head.

"Janson authorized an entire warp core replacement." She said with an annoyed tone

"Talk to T'ral she will help you out." I said. I made my way further down the corridor to my quarters. I walked over to the replicator, "Kanar" I requested. The computer processed my request and responded "Selction not found"

I was irritable, Sara hates Kanar. She wants me to get off of it. I have tried but it is very hard. I sat at the communications console and Plugged my data pad into the port and sent a message to Sara. I proceeded to the stations bar. The bartender was a Vulcan man, about 6'3". I ordered a whole bottle of Kanar. The bartender reluctantly geve it up. The side effects were wearing off. I started to feel better with every drink. I was half way done with the bottle when a familiar voice came through the combadge. It was the ever friendly voice on Admiral Ryan McGannaway one of the other negotiators.

"Sir the Lert have arrived and negotiations will begin in one hour."

To be continued . . .


	3. Chapter 3: The Past Fullfilled Pt I

Chapter III: The Past Fulfilled

25 years earlier . . .

The beautiful solar band that wrapped itself around the peaceful planet of Retrous III indicated that it was 1500 hours. This was the only planet in the Retrous System the had such a thing. It was a wonder that the planet did not burn, due to the rays of the sun. The scientist say that the Solar Band is what protects the planet from the sun.

This beautiful planet known as Retrous III, is where I have chosen to stay for the time being. This is a Federation Colony. I am here to learn Federation law and regulations. My friend Matcen, and I, are considering joining Starfleet. We both had given up positions of power in the military. He was a Gul, and I was a Legate. In times of peace, however, power is not that exciting. That is why we are joining Starfleet. It seems to us that every time we check in on our Federation neighbor, they always have a new enemy. That is the life that I want.

It is my third day on Retrous III, and I have seen many people on this planet. One in particular is a human female named Sara I think it was. She is very beautiful for a human. I think I may have fallen in love with this woman. I do not know what it is about her, but she leaves me breathless at every glance. Whenever she is near, I cannot concentrate, she is always on my mind. My studies are not progressing at all, due to this woman. That is all about to change. I have received a massage from the Bureau of Central Intelligence. They said that they had intercepted a message from Sara. It said _ "The new neighbor, Gefferin I think it was, has taken a liking to me. I can feel it. You have to admit he is kind of cute for a Cardassian. I would like to get to know him a bit more. I hear he wants to join Starfleet. He seems . . . capable."_

I sat there staring at the message. It seems that humans can possess "_love_" for a Cardassian like me. I have made up my mind. I am going to initiate contact today. I had decided to rest until 1400 hours. That is when she usually visits Martin's Earth style eatery. I am going to try to enjoy it, because I have no taste for Earth food.

It is a strange feeling leaving the militia like that. This place of peace is almost the exact opposite of how I was raised. For a man, who knows only the path of war, to settle on such a peaceful planet, is like a a Cardassian to go a long while without a bottle of some Kanar. The one thing that I do not like about these Federation Colonies, is that their replicators to not have any Cardassian provender. I have had to adapt to the other foods on the planet, and I can say that no food compares to Cardassian cuisine.

I have met some powerful people on Retrous III. One in particular is a Starfleet Admiral that goes by the name Andrew Jdaydani. He is what you would have called the model starship captain. I have glimpsed at his file while my employment at the BCI. No blemishes on his record at all not even during his days at Starfleet Academy. He seems to excel in everything he does. It is no wonder that he is an Admiral. It seems to me that he will be allowed into Starfleet Command in a few years. Times are stressful now after the Dominion war. I have been turned away from many shops, because I am a Cardassian. This Admiral Jdaydani has aided me much and I thank him for that. He will come to be a great asset in the future. As for Sara things are tough. Who could have thought a great Cardassian warrior like me could falter on such a task as speaking to a female. It infuriates me, because she is a very beautiful woman. Any other soldier would consider her a great prize. A prize worth the highest of the Cardassians. Yet I, the one without fear cannot even make first contact.

A week after that I had finally done it. I had done more than make first contact with Sara. I had found a friend that shared my point of view. She is holding her feelings back, I can tell. She has the same feelings for me that I have for her. I decided to tell her exactly how I really feel. I stood at the door to her house. She came out and looked somewhat happy. We looked at each other and said in unison. "I have something to tell you."

I decided to be the gentleman and said "You first." She looked at me and I knew it before she said it.

"Gefferin, there is something I must say," She said "Gefferin, I think I have fallen in love with you."

I saw it coming, I looked at her and said "Sara, I feel that same way about you." We stood there staring into each others eyes. She looked more beautiful tonight than ever. Weeks went by and we got closer and closer. It felt right. I loved her and she loved me. She then brought up taking our relationship to the next level. She wanted to get married. I said that we should wait. She reluctantly agreed. I said to her "Sara I love you, but I am not ready for marriage. I promise though that it will happen."

She looked at me softly and said "I understand Gefferin your people are extremely loyal so that means I can trust you."She understood and that was good.

About three months into my stay on Retrous III, I was visited by a Cadet in Starfleet. She came bearing a message. It read: _Good Evening Gefferin. We had received word that you want to join Starfleet. Nod if this is true._

I looked around in confusion. I nodded. The text on the pad was replaced with this new text: _Good. Gefferin_ _listen to my words. You are different from your fellow Cardassians. As you are, Matcen is reading the same message. I can get you in Starfleet. The Academy starts in one month. Pack your bags you shuttle leaves the Retrous III space port at 1300 hours in two weeks. Drop this pad if you understand._

I dropped it. The Cadet picked it up, and said to me "Thank you for your time Mr. Rannian." After she left I thought to myself, _This is my chance!_

I decided to contact Matcen. He had in fact received the same message that I did. He was a happy person. He decided to come to Retrous III. Dakmen's Bar was the only place that served Cardassian food, seeing that it was a Cardassian establishment. We drank until dawn. We were happy and so was Dakmen.

Three weeks as the message stated, and we were on the Shuttle out of here. I had just recently learned that Sara's family is a powerful family in the the Federation. So she decided to come along. Starfleet Academy Was going to be that learning experience that we need to help us understand Federation law.

I heard a beep and snapped out of my 'trance.' A voice came out of the combadge and said. "Sir The negotiations with the Lert will begin in five minutes."

I quickly snapped to complete concisenesses. I tapped my combadge and said "I am on my way"

To Be Continued . . .


	4. Chapter 4: Confrontation

Chapter IV: Confrontation

The room was darker than usual. The Lert say that they cannot see in the bright lighting of the starbase. Referolna was the first to speak. She said "Admiral Kate, we wish to join forces with your federation. Together we can rule the galaxy. Remember species 8472, the beings in fluidic space? They bow to no one but us, the Lert. If you join us you can use them to exterminate your enemies."

We all exchanged glances. Admiral McGanaway whispered to us. "They are not lying, but I fear that if we do join them that we will become nothing more than slaves." What we heard next startled everyone of us. One of the Lert, they called him Wertenli, shouted "You pathetic Alpha Dweller! You speak of madness!" I was surprised in the vast difference in voice pitch. It seemed that the men had deep voices, and the women at almost a squeak. He rose quickly as if to leap, but the two other Lert beside him restrained him. The Lert named Reternal spoke to him "Wertenli, dertsaj preterya notyup." Which Admiral McGannaway translated as 'Wertenli, calm down now.'

Almost instantly Wertenli backed off. The look of anger never left his eyes. Reternal rose and said "A slip drive perhaps will catch your fancy." The others looks turned to disgust. I rose. We were all thinking the same thing.

"Impossible! You cannot have a working slip drive. Our finest scientists have been trying for years and the only results are either a seriously altered ship and crew, or the nearest star system implodes. Further testing has been banned."

"How do you think we got here so fast?" Said Wertenli, who seemed to be calm now. "Slip Warp is the fastest way to travel."

None of us new what to take of this. We all turned to Admiral McGannaway. He shook his head. We turned to our guests. "This is going nowhere." He said "I say we break for a short time." As we broke Retan comes bearing some news.

She says to us "Commodore, We had received orders from Admiral Jaron to sneak on board a Lert ship and get as much information as we can. We found way more that we thought. We found the schematics for a Slip drive. They are different than our own. These run on a paralithium and Polonium compound. This allows not only possible slip warp, but stronger shields and weapons. The element Polonium is only found here in the Alpha Quadrant. That's not all. They have conquered the other three quadrants of the galaxy. All made slaves to the Lert. Even Species 8472, The Dominion, and The Kazon."

A wave of fear shot through all of us at once. "We will have no chance of surviving a war with these Lert. But we cannot and will not submit to such a tyranny. It goes against everything that the Federation stands for! But what if a revolution were to spark up? We would have almost the whole Galaxy with us right?"

A look of regret came across Retan's face. "Not exactly." I looked at her as if she was out of her mind. "The people still follow their government. The leaders of the different worlds have a comfortable seat in the Lert Council. The leaders keep the people from rising up with empty promises. The only one who might join us in a revolution is The Dominion. They helped us before during The Tetrahedron War in the Briar Patch."

"Who have you told?"

"Just you guys, and the guys who were with me."

"Did you download their archives to some pads?"

"Yes every single bit even all of the schematics."

"Good I want them in my quarters in one hour."

"Yes sir." She said as she left.

"What now?" Asked Admiral Kate.

"We resume negotiations in three hours. I have some one I need to contact." I said.

An hour and a half had passed before I could get Admiral Jdaydani on the line. When I finally did, I did not like what I got.

"Gefferin what is going on over there, the Lert? Is that what you call 'em? They are advancing. I was on a Starship going back to Earth from Vulcan, when we were attacked. We were barely able to fend off one ship. If there were more we would have been toast."

"Admiral we have found the reason for their being here."

"Well give it to me."

"Sir we found a schematic for a Slip Warp Drive. They are looking for an Earth Element Polonium to make it work properly. One problem. They have taken over the rest of the Galaxy so we have no other allies to fight with. What do we do?"

He sat there. Thinking. An ensign handed him pad. He went white. "Gefferin I have received the latest reports. The Lert have taken three planets. Derinus Prime, Terktek, And Retrous III."

My heart sunk immediately. I thought of Sara. Was she okay? I quickly filled with Anger and threw everything off of my desk. The Admiral realized what had happened.

"Oh god, Gefferin."

My fit of rage had ceased. I sat down and for the first time I cried. I was so scared for Sara that I cried. She was everything to me. Without her I am lost. I closed that channel and contacted Admiral Kate. "Admiral I want nothing to do with the Lert. I simply wish to annihilate them."

Admiral Kate knew that I was feeling a pain unlike anything she had before. She said "You heard the report as well."

I was trying my hardest to hold back the tears. "Yes I need my ship and put me on the front lines. I will promise you that the slip drive will be ours, not theirs. I can get the Polonium. I will need another engineer. So we can build this thing."

"Okay Gefferin but you be careful."

"These Lert will wish that they never came here."


	5. Chapter 5: All Rules Aside

Chapter V: All Rules Aside

The bridge of the Odyssey seemed colder than normal. The Epsilon fleet was assigned to me. The fleet consisted of 12 ships. The _Flanmore, Spartacus, Paracles, Remnant, Santiago, Ulrich, Kensworth, Blitzkrieg, Entourage, Washington, Automator, and the Saxon. _Thirteen of our ships against ten of theirs, at a standstill. Like an old Western Earth movie, we tried to stare each other down. Without warning our sensors went down along with the viewscreen and helm control.

"What just happened! Get sensors back online!" I shouted. The pure rage that burned inside prompted my actions. "Wallwood! Fire a full spread of our torpedoes followed by phasers!"

"Firing photon torpedoes." He replied. "Short range sensors back online. Five of their ships have been severely damaged. Wait. They are at 100. I cannot get a concrete answer. Our shields are at 5!"

"Get us out of here!" I was disappointed. I needed some answers and I had to run away from the only chance, but a small glimmer of hope revealed itself when Lt. Wallwood spoke up.

"Sir incoming subspace message. It is for you. It originates from the Retrous system." My spirits rose a little.

"In my ready-room. T'ral you have the bridge." The thought that Sara might be alive almost put a smile on my face. Many times we have tried to reach the Retrous system, but it's heavily fortified. There is no way in there. I feel that our only chance is to successfully build this slip warp drive.

I sat there in my ready-room. I was praying to the human god. Every night Sara had prayed to him. Her prayers rang throughout my head. I quickly silenced them. My screen was flashing the incoming message warning. I opened the message and much to my dismay it was not Sara, but Dakmen and Sara's friends. The tone in Dakmen's voice was alarming. He spoke as if they were under attack. His exact words I will never forget. He said, "Gefferin, We need you. The whole system is under attack! These new enemies have taken over the planet, and the leader, I think it was Gerntekin, took Sara and my son, Deddak. Come quickly, we know you can help. Our resistance movement, The Ceridian Order, has taken over some small towns but we are constantly being stopped my these massive forces." The there was a loud bang and the door opened and the Lert were there. Dakmen pulled what I recognized as a Nova Flash. He activated it and ran. It went off with a soft bang and the flash overloaded the recording device. The transmission had ended there. I made a quick decision. As I walked out of my ready-room I shouted to Janson, "Lt. Take us to Starbase 426. Warp 10.3." We needed to get some last minute supplies before we proceeded to Retrous III.

The Odyssey proceeded to Starbase 426 and received about a third more of the armaments than capacity. Admiral Menar informed me of a possible gap in the Lert defense perimeter. The gap was verified by the incoming transmission from Dakmen. He was a bit more calm now. He said, "Gefferin, We are getting nowhere here. All rescue attempts have failed. We are officially asking for Starfleet's help. I received a message from Sara five minutes ago. She said that Deddak is alright but she cannot say the same for herself." I immediately filled with pure rage and hate, but took no action. "She said that the Lert have violated her on many occasions. Though a horrible act, we have gained a lot of information. We found a break in their defense perimeter. At 902.1 by 725.2 reference 'G.' you should be able to fit about five ships at a time, without detection. The fate of Retrous III, nay, the fate of the Federation, rests on your shoulders. Gefferin, You can help us. Get here A.S.A.P.!"

I cleared our departure with Admiral P'tal. The air, stale of fear and confusion. While on route to the given coordinates, Lt. Wallwood stated something odd, "Sir impact alerts on decks thirteen through twenty-seven, but I am not picking up anything on sensors." It took a while to register what it was.

"Roll hard to the right!" I said "Now!"

"Too late!" Shouted Lt. Janson "It seemed to be some sort of interphasic cloaking device, they have taken out our port nacelle! Impulse and Warp offline, comm is down as well. Aparrentley two Lert ships were in cloak one sacrificed itself but the explosion caused heavy damage to the other Lert ship. The Lert ship has no shields and minimal weapons. I am detecting two lifesigns very faint."

"Beam a boarding party onto the Lert ship. Bring the survivors aboard. Beam them directly to sickbay, and erect a level ten forcefield. We are going to commandeer ourselves this Lert ship. As soon as you can send out a standard distress signal. Janson you are with me. T'ral, you have the bridge. We will see if I can learn how to fly this thing."

"Aye sir"

Janson, Dr. Mkhlian, and myself stood on the transporter pad, waiting for Retan, who was late for ship to ship transport. The faint sound of running footsteps quieted everyone. They grew louder, and louder as Retan came running through the door.

"I am sorry that I am late, I was gathering the data from the other ship. I almost lost the most important one."

"And which one would that be?" I asked.

"Flight Control." She said with hesitation. We all looked at each other and laughed. Even Retan.

"Lt. Energize." And with that the four of us dematerialized. The ever familiar sight of Transporter Room 4 was quickly concealed in a blue hue. The blue changed to green as the transporter room returned to view.

"What happened?"

"We lost primary power, there is not enough for a transport. The only option is to take a shuttle and beam from there."

"That is the only way. My scans showed no places to dock a shuttle."

"Road Trip anyone?" Janson jested.

"Can this day get worse?" I muttered to myself.

The debris from the other Lert Ship and our warp nacelle was visible from the Shuttlepod. The Lert ship was sleek, but powerful. It was a silver color, with some red and black symbols. It was long, almost as long as the Odyssey. Maybe two or three decks. One major difference was that the bridge was in the exact middle of the ship. The exciting view of space is not as good as in a Federation Starship. The bridge layout was similar to that of a Cardassian warship. The command chair in the center, and on a pedestal. The controls were a bit trickier than those of the Odyssey. It is a good thing that Retan downloaded the control layout from when they snuck aboard the other ship. On the Lert ship I got the comm up and running, as well as some of the weapons. The Odyssey has repaired comm, and sent out a distress signal to Starbase 426. Janson practiced the helm on the captured ship. The plan was that when Starfleet arrives that we will try to cross the defense perimeter, and kick these guys out. Janson was still having trouble at the helm of the alien vessel. Weapons controls were a bit easier. The Lert ship was equipped with an interphasic cloaking device, which allows the ship to not only be invisible to sight and sensor detection, but to be able to pass through solid objects. A Federation vessel was secretly testing an illegal cloak, banned by the treaty of Algeron. The unstable technology set the ship adrift in space, in phasic cloak, untill it rematerialized inside an asteroid. Jeron Merdeth, Director of Starfleet Internal Affairs, ok'd our operation. We left my crippled ship behind as we left for the defense perimiter. Through the rear view we saw the USS Spartacus towing the Odyssey to the nearest Starbase. We had received an unteseted device that was supposed to mask our bio-signs and make it seem like the Lert were onboard. We had no idea if it even worked. Our crew consisted of myself, Janson, Retan, and Doctor Mkhlian.

"Take us out Janson, full impulse."

"Aye sir"

"As soon as we clear the system go to full warp."

"Aye sir" He said trying to hide his excitement but failing miserably.

"Something wrong Mr. Janson?"

"No sir it is just that I feel like the crew of the defiant. Back in the Dominion War when Captain Sisko and his crew piloted a captured Dominion vessel into a Ketracel-White facility."

"I know the event. I was sent to find the ship afterwards. I never did. And I paid dearly for it."

"Sir, Going to maximum warp."

The ship was at a comfortable temperature for both the crew and myself. And yet chills raged up and down my back. Was I experiencing genuine fear? I had not known fear before these past events. That scared me. We were about 3 hours from our destination when we received a strange message from Admiral Picard.

"Captain Rannian stand down and return to Starbase 426 immediately."

"Sorry Admiral but I cannot do that."

"I have orders to take you in by any means. And I will use those means." I cut the channel and said to Janson

"Is there anything faster that warp on this thing?"

"No sir."

"Use the interphasic cloak."

"Aye sir." The excitement quickly turned to fear for his career. He new that more was at stake that his career. He typed a set of commands into the computer. The computer stated ship status, which was translated by the universal translater within our combadges. Weapons were restricted to projectiles. No phase energy weapons yet. Retan as working around the clock to get it up and running. We all feared what would come next. No one knew. We just hoped that it was not as bad as the reports from operatives in the occupied sectors of space.


	6. Chapter 6: The Past Fullfilled Pt II

Chapter VI: The Past Fulfilled

The Lert Ship brought back memories of the Tagret. My Command ship in the Cardassian Militia. My first officer Grent, in the Engine Room trying to get things running. We are patrolling the Federation-Cardassian Border, where there were reports of a Romulan presence.

"All clear, no traces of Romulan Warbirds." Stated Glinn Grad.

"Gul Rannian, there is an incoming mission from Legate Damar." informed Glinn Rep.

"Put it on the main screen." I said as the image of the Demetrus Outpost changed to the face of Lagate Damar, the one in control of this section of space. His face was grave, as if to give bad news.

"Gul Rannian, A rouge Dominion vessel, believed to be controlled by the Federation, has attacked a Ketracel White Facility. You have been assigned to go find them. Don't come back empty handed." And with that the channel closed. He was a very straight-forward person. One of those people who do everything by the book. That annoyed everyone.

"Any ideas as to where we start?" I asked

"I am picking up a Jem'hedar Battle cruiser."

"Hail them."

"No response."

"Engage them. Ready all weapons."

"Weapons ready"

"Target their propulsion systems."

"Engines targeted."

"Fire." The display showed the torpedoes missed by a good 30 kilometers.

"They are hailing us."

"Put it on the display." The face of a Jem'hedar soldier appeared. I am guessing that he was angry.

"You have fired upon our vessel. State your reasons."

"A Ketracel white Facility has been destroyed by one of your battle cruisers. You did not respond to our hails so we assumed that you were the culprits."

"Well you are wrong. We as well are in search of the terrorists. We were supposed to maintain communication silence so we do not alert the fugitives."

"I see what is your registration?"

"743 Alpha9."

"Very well. On with your investigation." That was not good. We could have blown the whole operation. I decided that it was time to move. "Helm, search the database for any missing ships and cross reference their warp signatures. I want a report on my desk by 1200." The time passed very slowly. Failure for this mission would result in death as all crimes. But who's death was an unknown. Exceptional Soldiers were often spared for their crimes. Their families were not so lucky. In Cardassian Society all crimes are punishable by death. My wife, Kara, and my son Dreak were both at risk. This mission would decide the fate of my family. This thought weighed heavily on my mind. I pushed the thought from my head. Glinn Rep, and Glinn Grad approached me with a data PADD. "There is one ship unaccounted for. We have detected it's warp signature and we are tracking it now." Stated Glinn Rep.

"Very good work. I want hourly reports." My family will be spared at last. Family was number one in Cardassian culture. Even if it means your life. We tracked this warp signature to five different planets. We soon found what we were searching for.

"The warp signature ends here. I am putting it on the display." The Screen showed what looked like a probe, not a Dominion Vessel.

"What is this? This is Federation Technology! They need to be found!"

"Gul Rannian, There is a trilithium charge inside. It might detonate soon." This frustrated me but I had to leave.

"Get us out of here!" My only chance of saving my family gone. At the hands of the federation. Those diplomatic pigs will pay.

"Gul Gefferin, there is a transmission from Legate Damar."

"In my quarters." I knew this would happen.

"Gul Gefferin, what news do you have for me?" Asked Legate Damar.

"We found the warp signature and we followed, only to be led to a probe emitting a false signature. We have nothing to go on."

"You have failed the militia. You do understand that it is grounds for capital punishment."

"Yes, I do."

"You are one of the best officers. So you are spared, but as for your family, Kara and Dreak. They will take your place." I wanted to protest but I knew it would not help. I bit back my tongue. I did not wish to make things worse than they already are. "Yes." I stated.

I addressed the crew. "The Cardassian Government has decided to give Capital Punishment to my family for my failure. I have decided to take the risk with the Federation Probe." The crew got to work as soon as I stopped talking. A half hour later, we arrived at the probe. "Can we neutralize the Trilithium charge?"

"A tetryon beam should disarm the charge."

"Very well do it." The golden beam of tetryon particles hit the probe and covered it.

"The trilithium charge has been disarmed"

"Get it into the cargo bay." I wanted to see this thing up close. The walk to the cargo bay was a long one. But it was worth it. I walked through the door and saw Grent.

"What is it?"

"It is not Federation, but Romulan."

"Romulan? Are they working with the Federation?"

"It would seem so. Just a week ago they were on the brink of war."

"That is strange. Maybe they are provoking a battle with the Federation."

"I do not know but we have to report this to Damar."

"It would seem so. See if you can access it's systems."

"Yes." Maybe this would free my family. The odds were unlikely. Damar was one to stick to his decisions. But it was worth a try. There is nothing I wouldn't give to know that they are safe.

"Sir entering the defense perimeter." I snapped to reality. These flashbacks were odd. Nothing like this has ever happened before.

"Take us in nice and slow. We do not want to alert them."

"Aye sir."


	7. Chapter 7: Full Circle Pt I

24/05/2007 20:49:00

Chapter VII: Full Circle

I sat there going over past events in my head. Everything that led up to this situation. I wondered was I special or was it just my own misfortune. These thoughts wandered in and out of my head. They were clouding my judgment. I fear I may make a rash decision. It took me a while but I put these thoughts in the back of my mind. The Lert have not tried to contact us yet, which came as a surprise to both of us. We had to travel on impulse due to the immense strain the interphasic cloak put on the warp drive. Retrous III was an hour away at impulse. Dr. Mkhlian found the Lert version of a holodeck. She set up sickbay there where she programmed a close replica of the Odyssey sickbay. The exact translation is "_House of Light and Mirrors._" The simplistic design of the computer matrix made me question their superiority. What made the least sense is where they came from. Retan downloaded the whole database and nothing concrete about their original location. Where exactly were they from? There were no maps of their home galaxy. The only thing that resembled an answer to that, were coordinates that correspond to a location not even in this galaxy. But with less than half of our own charted, there is no possible way that we could even guess where this location is. As the time ticked on, the tension grew.

"Engineering to Bridge." Cracked the voice of Retan through the combadge.

"Proceed."

"I have found some of our technology installed here."

"Federation?"

"Cardassian." That statement confounded me. I had a contact on Cardassia. Itra, Kara's mother, contacted me every day and updated me on everything happening at Home. I did not understand why though. I was responsible for her daughter's death and yet no hatred came my way. It was more sympathetic. No news of a new alliance fell upon my ears.

"Well what exactly is it?"

"It is a discriminant broadcaster. I think the federation calls it a 'Hawk.'"

"I know what a discriminant broadcaster is. The question is what is it doing here?"

"I don't know but I am picking something up. It is a broadcast from Retrous Prime. It seems like some sort of coronation. You have to see this."

"Can you route it to the main view screen?"

"It should come up now." The screen changed to the Retrous Sector's Congressional Hall. The tall white columns made it seem like something you would find on Earth. One thing that stood out was the Retrous Flag. It was simple. Green with a spike like shape in the middle. People crammed together for miles. It was a mixture of anti, and pro Lert occupation. There was a podium. There were eleven Lert officials standing on the steps to the grand building. One stepped forward to address the people.

"Attention citizens of the Old Federation. We have come from a distant galaxy. We offer you order and protection. All we ask in return is your participation to rid this galaxy of the pathetic Federation. In order to spare your planet of slavery, we require a minimum of twenty thousand inhabitants. You have 5 paransiles to comply." There was a mixed reaction to the statement. Cheers erupted from the Anti-Federation attendees. There was an equal amount of jeering from the Pro Federation. Armed conflict seemed imminent at this point. Someone was pushing his way through the crowd. I had to strain to see due to the bad angle of the camera. It was the Gephrash of the Retrous system, Romén. He was careful to approach the podium after the Lert officials left the area. He said,

"Citizens of the Retrous system, you must know that I, in no way condone the transgressions against our greatest ally, the Federation. It was a decision made with a threat on my family. I ask you now to help me undo this terrible mistake. On the first day of the Keran, turn your heads towards the heavens and the western path will light up the East." I stared at the screen in disbelief. They were mounting full on assault. A whole army of confused citizens. The Gephrash was right. This was a mistake that needed to be fixed. We are the ones to do it. With the first day of the Keran in three days, we had to do something.

"Janson, start landing procedures."

"Sir, there is no way to land this thing. The landing equipment was damaged in the attack on the Odyssey."

"Prepare for emergency landing. This needs to be precise. Come in from the West towards the East and land on the Eastern side of town. I do not know how, but the Gephrash knows we are here. Let us heed his message."

"It will take hours to program that into this complex console."

"Take your time Janson. The First of the Keran is three days away."

"Aye sir." And with that I left the bridge for some sleep.

Nightmares tore through my sleep. There was no solace to be found in the realm of dreams. What was once a vibrant land of successful conquest, now lay a graveyard of defeat. The Lert reign supreme in my mind. It was now the 45th of the Lenik. The First of the Keran is the next day. That gives us a little more than a day. "Janson Report."

"I cannot initialize the Emergency Landing Protocol, the controls are just too advanced." The frustration in his voice was obvious.

"Do you have our flight path in the navigational console?"

"Yes sir."

"Then keep working if you cannot figure it out by tomorrow, the you better find something to hold on to. I have just been informed that the inertial dampeners are shot."

"Yes sir." His attempts were futile now, but it kept him busy. It also kept him out of the Holodeck. He suffered from holodeck addiction. A relapse is not what we need now.

"Is this a secure channel?" Asked a voice.

"Yes." I replied.

"Good. How many people do you have with you?"

"Including myself, four."

"What about weapons?"

"This Lert vessel is equipped with a self replenishing weapons locker. All of the weapons you need."

"Excellent I will see you then tomorrow?"

"Most Certainly Gephrash Romén."


	8. Chapter 8: Full Circle Pt II

Sorry guys for the delay. Schools kept m pretty busy. I should be back to a regular schedule soon.

* * *

Chapter VIII: Full Circle Pt. II 

The time had come. I had received mixed feelings. Janson said he felt like an old earth astronaut. Dr. Mkhlian felt no anxiety. Neither did Retan. I feared what would happen next.

"Captain, all preparations have been made we are ready to go. Permission to speak freely, sir?"

"Granted."

"Sir how did Romén know we were here?"

"Well Janson it is a Cardassian secret. I just cannot have the whole federation knowing now would I?" The truth was I had no idea, but I knew it was meant for us.

"I guess so."

"Good. Now we have to go make sure we can minimize damage to the ship, and it's systems. We are going to need to salvage all that we can."

"Yes sir." Janson, with his mind full of doubt left the cramped corridor. I searched the whole ship for more items of use. There were few items that could be used as weapons.

"Thirty Minutes to atmospheric entry." I heard from the computer through the Universal translator hidden in my belt. One thing I learned is to heed all warnings. I hurried my search. I checked all stations to make sure everything was right. I checked everything. All green. Only ten minutes until impact. The calculations had to be precise. Two major things could have gone wrong with this. We could come in too steep and the impact could have killed us, or the solar band could incinerate us. Either one would have prevented us from completing the mission. Five minutes until atmospheric entry. At that point in time I looked death in the face, and spat. He was not going to get me. Not now, not in the near future.

One minute until atmospheric entry and everyone was in the bridge. On a ship like this the bridge is the safest part of the ship. Guarded by the rest of the ship, making it the best choice for such a feat. Only thirty seconds left, and the ship started to lurch forward. For what seemed like hours we sat there watching the planet grow bigger until it filled the screen. We started to see through the clouds. Closer we came, and I started to recognize the continents. The invasion could be seen from orbit. They had shipyards all over the planet. We could see new artificial landmasses in the sea of Korent, but that was all before we hit the atmosphere. The flames licked up the side of the craft, completely blocking the view of the planet. The moment had a surreal feeling to it. It had a nostalgic feeling to as well. Except the first Cardassians in space died upon re-entry. It was a horrible way to go. The feelings were broken by the sound of multiple alarms going off. I tried my best to look but it was difficult due to the large amount of 'G's that were being generated. From Janson's position, he could manage to see what exactly was happening. What he found wasn't good.

"Sir, you are not gonna like this." He muttered, "The hull is being peeled off like a banana." As he spoke those words, fear began to rise from the pit of my stomach. It cannot end this way. It cannot. I will not let it. I screamed at myself internally.

"Do we have any power for stop it?" I expected a positive answer. But I received none. Instead the weirdest thing happened. The ship stopped shaking and we hovered above the city. It all happened so fast, but it was enough to ensure our survival. It was only a rumor on Retrous III. They were pockets in the atmosphere where gravity was not present. Our momentum was great enough to penetrate the other side, but it slowed us considerably. We were able to use the maneuvering thrusters to touch down as gently as possible. It all ended with a great thud as the thrusters died. For what seemed like hours we sat there in disbelief, and wonder at how this turned out. Our relief was short-lived. Our main concern now was getting out. Unfortunately for us the doors had fused shut during re-entry, and there was only enough air for another hour. No power, no environmental system, no escape. Even at it's weakest point the hull was too thick to cut through. Our only hope would be to restore power. But Retan's estimate would take too long. The wreckage blocking the part of the ship with the hull peeled off. It would take time but we might make it if we worked non-stop. Janson and I started moving the larger debris. Occasionally we would need help moving a bulkhead or mending cuts. There were only a few meters to go when Janson collapsed from the lack of oxygen. I was starting to feel the effects. I moved pound after pound of mangled steel. I started to get dizzy but never gave up. I was not going to sit by while my family dies because I was not able to do my job properly again. The dizziness increased, and my vision started to darken. I screamed at myself internally for failing. I thought it was all over. Right when I was about to accept that it was over, I moved a support beam and a wave of cool air hit my face. Despite the fresh air I collapsed but not from the lack of oxygen, but from exhaustion.

I awoke to the dark Renback caves just outside of the Capital City. It was comfortably warm in these caves, which helped me feel a lot better. I looked around and saw that the cave walls were covered in monitors. Displaying tactical information on their next attack. I tried to get up, but my muscles were making it difficult. I rose slowly and examined the plans, taking into account every possible variable. It was a sound strategy.

A hand touched my shoulder. I turned quickly around to see Dakmen's smiling face.

"I see you are enjoying our plans. As you can see we are planning to take over their shipyard near the Ordon coast. I am sure you saw it on your way in. am I right?"

I looked at him and smiled. "It was you. You told Romén we were coming." His grin grew. "Well we are here. Did you get the supplies from the crashed ship?"

His smile started to fade; "We were able to get one of the lockers before the Lert found it. We barely made with our lives, and yours."

"I see, but one locker will suffice for this mission. When do we mobilize?" The plan was solid, but the outcome might not be what they wanted. "What do you plan to do afterwards? Surely they will return in greater numbers."

His grin returned but it was bigger as he said, "What you think we are going to stop there? No. After that we will move on to the base located on the Western coast of Yelk'taer. And after that the new land mass they call Gretnor. One by one we will take on these Lert bases. Little by little we will build our forces. All it will take is one second of weakness and we will strike. After that we will lend a hand to that office job of yours."

I was impressed. This was planned out to include every possible variable.


End file.
